Johnny Spillings, of The Penny Bun Bakehouse in Lowestoft, calls for people to help him reach The Best Croissant UK final
A Suffolk baker who has worked for some of the country’s best chefs is calling on people to help get his croissants into the final of a prestigious competition
Johnny Spillings, who opened The Penny Bun Bakehouse in Lowestoft in 2010, is in the central region of The Best Croissant UK 2024 competition, which has been organised by French dairy company, Isigny Sainte Mère.
And with the General Election today, the 43-year-old, who has worked for the late Michel Roux at The Waterside Inn in Bray, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire and Heston Blumenthal on his Feast TV shows, hopes people will be in the voting mind to give his chances a boost.
He said: “I don’t normally do competitions, but people of all ages come to us wanting a Penny Bun croissant as they love them. We do sell a lot of them every weekend and they are by far the biggest seller on the pastry front.
“I saw the competition online last year and did not know very much about it, but after some research, I saw it again this year and thought why not go for it.
“But we need people to vote for us to get through the regional section (which can be done by clicking here) and then we can truly let our croissants do the talking.”
Johnny, who sells his croissants and the rest of his breads and pastries weekly at The Box in Southwold, monthly at the Halesworth Produce Market, at Fen Farm Dairy in Bungay and its Roy Humphrey Business Park shop in Eye, said getting to the final would be special.
“This is the chance to put East Anglia, and specifically Lowestoft, on the map and this competition is also a chance to showcase just how good British bakers really are,” he said.
“You have not got to wait for a holiday to France to taste a great croissant now, we and many other bakers in this country have fantastic ones ready for you to taste on your doorstep.”
Voting for The Best Croissant UK 2024 Competition ends on July 10.
